


Frozen From the Inside Out

by JustLynnched



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Author is a Clay | Dream Apologist (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream and Nightmare are Sibilings, Clay | Dream speaks formally, Eret Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Redza is a dad, slight - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:47:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29621508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLynnched/pseuds/JustLynnched
Summary: Everyone says that both Dream and Nightmare are evil, but this story will show you another series of events. This is the story of two boys losing their humanity.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Eret (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Nightmare, Clay | Dream & Redza, Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Wilbur Soot
Comments: 9
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> More angst by Lynn, why not?
> 
> Hello! I decided to do this, why not? Everyone immediately says that Nightmare is a Dreamon and makes him evil, so I was like: "How about no?". In case you do not understand, Dream and Nightmare are a lot like Alfred Borden and Fallon from The Prestige, if they shared memories. I really recommend the movie, even if it is slightly confusing and not at all in chronological order. I'm getting off topic. If you have any ideas or headcannons you would like to incorporate into this fic, leave them in the comments, or shoot me a message! My discord is JustLynnched#2102.

Dream growled internally. How dare they call him a tyrant in their song. He wanted to have his own country, with rules. As for Wilbur . . . he wasn't going to get started on the man. He used his family as a weapon. Wilbur had a younger brother, Tommy. The boy was loud, and clearly admired Wilbur. And so, when Wilbur had asked the boy to fight in their damn war, he didn't just ask for Tommy to help him. He asked for Tommy's innocent best friend, Tubbo to help them as well.

"Even I wouldn't stoop that low. Not even Satan would, and I know because he told me." Nightmare told him, floating around next to him as he usually did when Dream was in control. His twin brother was stillborn, and because their father was one of the highest ranking demons, Nightmare was automatically sent to hell to work for Satan as an assistant, which would get him a name within the demon community. Nightmare was allowed to leave when he was 13, and while it was confusing to share a body with someone whom you’ve never met, it had already been 8 years since then, and Dream and Nightmare were perfectly fine sharing the body that they both inhabited.

Dream looked around to make sure no one was following him, and nodded. 

"You are right, of course. Did you see Tubbo? He looked so innocent and happy, this war will change that, of that I have no doubt. Innocence is something I value in this world of ours. Without the war, he will remain perfect, untainted by the cruelty of this world. But we musn't surrender to L'Manburg, or whatever that group dares to call themselves. We created the Dream SMP for them to live as a happy family in one place, surrounded by their friends. This was why we created this country, and they must live in it, just like we planned."

"But of course, brother of mine. But it would be better called Sleep SMP, or have you forgotten of me already?"

"Never! Come, let us go home. Father is waiting for us, and we should not get him angry. Philza has already insulted him today, so we should be early, and make him something."

"Yes, Dream."

And so, Dream proceeded to go home, to his long suffering father that loved him and Nightmare more than anything, Redza. As he walked, his brother floated beside him, grounding him with talks about his time in hell. While Nightmare had been in hell, he had worked for Satan, and had been taught to speak formally, something that had gone straight into one ear and out the other. However, Dream had picked up on it, and in order for them to be able to switch so that no one, except maybe Redza, and even then in only some cases, would be none the wiser, Nightmare had been forced to speak formally. The way of speech had eventually become his natural way to speak.

"And the fact that Punz, someone who may have been our third brother back before all of this nonsense happened, requires us to pay him for his undying loyalty to us? If the opposing side was richer than us, there is not a chance that Punz would remain loyal if they bought him out. What is so wrong about our country, Nightmare? For what did they require another country to be created? To prove that they didn't like to listen to others. To change my three rules and create their own laws? But my rules were perfectly fine, were they not? Are they saying that killing, stealing and drugs are completely alright and should be allowed in a country. They want a country where minors are allowed to get high? Not on my watch, and not on yours either, Nightmare. Unless . . . You saw Tommy's disks, did you not? With them, we can play Tommy like a puppet. Wilbur will die soon, of that I have no doubt. But Wilbur is a singer, and an actor and he wants this country to be poetic. For Satan's sake, he called it his unfinished symphony, and it has not been started yet. Tommy will be the next ruler, since Wilbur will pass the rulership to him, like a King passes his crown. With the disks, L'Manburg will be under our jurisdiction, and nobody has to get hurt. We will have full control over our country once again." Dream ranted to his brother, Nightmare giving nods at appropriate moments and humming in agreement.

"I agree with you, Dream. But we really must not delay. We can write our ideas down, but we have to get home first. Speaking of which, there it is." Nightmare replied, pointing ahead.

The cozy cottage in which the small family of boys lived in had come into their field of view, and Dream smiled under his porcelain mask. He ran quickly at the house, and Nightmare flew next to him. Dream quickly unlocked the door and loudly stated, "Papa, we're home!"

Redza was standing in the kitchen, in front of the stove. He was an exceptional cook, and he was making beef wellington, the delectable smell floating throughout the air in the small cottage. His demon wings were retracted, and so were his demon horns. When he turned around and saw that it was his sons who had arrived at the front door, he let out an almost inaudible sigh of relief, and allowed his wings and horns to emerge from his body in all their hellish glory.

“You two are right on time, as always. The food is almost finished, go wash your hands boys. After that, come back.” Redza smiled at his sons and turned back to the food.

The two boys nodded. As a demon, Redza could see Nightmare, since he knew he was there. That’s why, despite the fact that Bad was also a demon, Bad could not see Nightmare. Bad had no idea that Nightmare existed, and neither Dream nor Nightmare planned to tell him. For humans or other hybrids, Nightmare had to give them permission to see him when he was outside of the body, and Dream had to give the permission if Nightmare was the twin in control. Nightmare forced his body to manifest in the real world, giving him mass and volume. He dropped down to the floor in a heap, and groaned.

“I forgot to be in a balanced position on the floor before I manifested. Why must the universe make me forget this?” Nightmare stood up, and brushed the dirt off of his hoodie, and rushed after Dream to wash his hands.

The family sat down at their small wooden table, and Redza quickly brought over the three plates and placed them onto the middle of the table. The twins each grabbed a plate, and Nightmare allowed his fangs to elongate as he moved the food closer to him. He grabbed and put it in his mouth, sucking the remaining life out of the cow, not that there was much left. Dream looked at his brother in disgust, and with small bites began to eat his food. Their father looked at them with fondness, and began to eat the food he had prepared for his small but perfect family.

When they had finished eating, they cleaned up after themselves, and after a quick goodbye to their father, Nightmare turned into his ghost-like state again, and they threw their shoes on. They left their house, and went outside. Dream went around to the back of the house, and grabbed pillows and an insulation pad. He threw them onto the roof, and parkoured his way to the top of the cottage. He laid the pad on the flat part of the roof. He grabbed the pillows and put them under his head, and laid down, ready to watch the stars.

"You know, there is much to do. We do not have long, they will send us some sort of deal. We are winning in the war, no matter how determined they are, and we will win. They most likely will try to tire us out, continuing to create countries. They want independence, so they will make a deal, one that will cause them to gain independence, and us to gain something else. What would be the best thing for us to gain in that situation, brother?" Nightmare asked Dream, having thought about this for a while, and wanting to ask the smarter twin what he thought.

"I think, for us, it would be the disks, since then we would be able to play that pathetic excuse of a country like a harmonica. Tommy is influential, and as morally wrong it is to manipulate a child, we must do everything for the greater good. But we mustn't forget of the idea of having a traitor in their ranks. Eret has already expressed his interest in power, so maybe to offer him kingship in exchange for him to betray them. But it would be a risky move, since he could tell them. Besides, the betrayal will not end things in the likeliest chance. It would only cause them to be determined to defeat us, but they then would know that they have even less chance to win. In all, the disks are our best bet, but only after a betrayal from Eret. If not, we can still win." Dream stated after thinking over it a bit, and later down. "Goodnight, Nighty."

"Goodnight, Dreamy."

With that, Dream fell into a peaceful sleep on top of the cottage, genuinely relaxed and at peace.


	2. Chapter 2

Dream awoke, still on top of the roof of his home. Nightmare hung next to him in the air, curled up slightly like a cat. He stood up and stretched, and turned to his twin.

"Nightmare, wake up. It is morning already, and we must go talk with Eret today about the possible betrayal. Nightmare. My goodness, you act like a cat." Dream sighed, and began to poke his twin in the cheek, rolling his eyes behind his mask.

"Mhhm . . . Dream, you really must stop waking when the Sun starts to rise. It is so incredibly early, and in hell, we do not rise until the Sun is high." Nightmare groaned, and stretched as he hovered higher over the house. "Also, it's my turn, so hand over control."

Dream sighed, and stretched out his hand to his brother. Nightmare grinned, and grabbed his hand, and they both closed their eyes. Dream felt the familiar woosh of switching, and when he opened his eyes again, he had materialized exactly where Nightmare had been floating, and his corporeal body, the one standing on the roof, looked no different. Nightmare opened his eyes, and let out a breath of air and began to move his muscles, getting used to being tangent again.

When Nightmare was capable of climbing off the roof without spraining or breaking one of his bones, the demon grabbed the pillow and insulation pad, and parkoured off the roof, and after a thorough shaking of the pillow and pad to get rid of any leaves, he placed them back in the box, and Nightmare ran around to the front of the house, Dream lazily drifting behind him. Nightmare opened the front door, and strolled inside, going to Dream's room. He changed into a collared white shirt, and threw on a formal green suit with long green coattails, and black pants. He pulled off his mask, and grabbed a white hair tie, pulling Dream's long white-blond hair into a low ponytail, that ended slightly below his neck, and just like Dream's hair, was slightly wavy. He replaced the mask and adjusted it so that only his mouth and below was visible, and grabbed a leather belt, tying it around his waist, and allowing his axe, Nightmare, to hang from it, its deadly netherite blade above the belt, and the slightly worn wooden handle hanging below his knees. Nightmare put on dress shoes, put on a golden watch, and looked back at Dream.

"How do I look, oh dear brother of mine? Or rather, how do you look, since this is your body." Nightmare had a mischievous and proud smirk on his face, a natural expression for the demon. He twirled in place, the coattails swirling with him.

"I look amazing. Thank you. Now, we must hurry. We already sent the letter to Eret, and we are meeting with him at 10 in the morning. He said to meet him at the gates of the Dream SMP, and that is quite far from here." Dream laid back in the air, and he watched as the clothes that Nightmare had put on appeared on his ghostly body, and Nightmare checked his watch.

"It is 5:30 in the morning, Dream. Why must you wake so early?" Nightmare let out a huff of air, and walked outside. They were going to start the long walk to the gates of the SMP. Nightmare's eyes widened, and ran inside, uttering a single word.

"Breakfast."

Dream almost smacked himself, but decided against it. They had forgotten to eat, and no doubt today was going to be a stressful day. Dream floated through the wall, and ended up in the kitchen, where Nightmare had quickly started preparing protein shakes and omelets. Dream forced himself to hover right above the ground, and floated like a pencil to avoid making the same mistake as Nightmare, and materialized, landing on his feet. He grabbed two cups and poured the shake into them, bringing them over to the table. Nightmare used a spatula to move the omelets onto the two plates he had gotten out earlier, and he too, brought them over to the table and sat down opposite Dream. They quickly ate and drank, Nightmare once again elongating his fangs, and Dream looked at him with disgust. 

"Why must you always do that? It really is quite annoying." Dream asked his twin, and Nightmare rolled his eyes.

"I have answered this question of yours many millions of times, and I will give you the same answer. Because it gives me more energy, and I hate leaving my fangs in."

They finished their food without any further bickering, and after they put their plates away, they walked outside again, this time having already eaten. When Dream looked at his watch, he saw it was 6 AM, and he and Nightmare began the forty minute walk to the gates of the SMP. As they walked, they discussed what they would say. Dream didn't want Nightmare to mess anything up, so he gave him a mental script. He also thought about the possibility that Eret would say no. If he did, then L'Manburg would be more wary, and the possibility of finding someone willing to be a traitor within their ranks would be hard. It would be even harder to allow the traitor to sneak past their ranks, since they would be expecting a traitor. Besides, it would show weakness to them, and Dream could not allow weakness to be shown. When they finally arrived, Nightmare sat down on a bench, and groaned.

“Brother?” He asked, seemingly annoyed.   
  
“Yes, Nightmare?” Dream turned to his brother, tired eyes knowing already what the question would be.

“Why do we live so far away from our country? We have the perfect place to live, and yet, you chose to build the cottage on Nowhere Avenue. If we want everyone to live in our perfect country, and we ourselves do not live in it, we are hypocrites, no?” Nightmare asked, waving his hands around as if to indicate the massive country Dream and Nightmare had built with their own blood, sweat and tears.

"We live far away, Nightmare, because we do not want our house to be caught in the middle of a crossfire if one were to happen. And we technically do have a house within the gates, we just never use it. The only thing we have in there is an ender pearls stasis chamber so we can get to Papa's house in case of an emergency, but otherwise, it's unlived in, despite all the furniture. Besides, if we accidentally let our house be destroyed in this war, Papa would for sure be mad. Beyond mad, really, since we helped him build it." Dream sighed as he explained for the millionth time, but definitely not the last time.

Nightmare huffed and crossed his arms, pouting like a child that hadn't gotten the toy they wanted from the store, but instantly uncrossed them.

"There he is. Okay, I got this." Nightmare straightened his tie, and stood up. He strolled over to Eret, and brushed the non-existent dust off of his suit.

"Hello, Eret." Nightmare put his hand out, a polite but not informal greeting.

"Hello, Dream." Eret nodded politely, and shook his hand once, with a firm grip. "You said you wanted to discuss something?”

“Ah, yes. You have already stated that you are interested in power, and I am interested in ending this war without a complete bloodbath, no matter which side ends up losing, so I’m sure we can come to a compromise.” Nightmare pointed to Eret and then himself, and spread his hands out, as if to indicate everyone.

“But of course! If L’Manburg ends up winning, I am quite aware Wilbur will appoint himself as President, and Tommy will most likely become his Vice. Tubbo, despite his dyslexia, will end up as treasurer. Fundy and I will be forgotten by history, written as mere unimportant allies. But, alas, if that were true, it would be perfect! I would not be the only forgotten one. But no, still Fundy will be remembered, even if it is only as the President’s son, not his own character. I crave for power, for attention! If I am forgotten by history, a nameless ally that did nothing of importance, well . . .” Here Eret paused to laugh sadly at his own predicament. “Dream, you may be our enemy, but I believe you understand. I have a fear of being forgotten, and a, so far, unsatiated hunger for power. If you can offer me power, I can guarantee you my loyalty to the Greater SMP.”

“And your friends? Are you not loyal to them, since you have known them far longer than you have known me?” Nightmare asked, making sure that Eret was not a double traitor.

“True, they are my friends, but if they do not notice that I am afraid to be forgotten, then they are no friends at all. You understand, I have heard Tommy and Wilbur discussing the future, and Fundy and I were left out. I have told them that I am afraid of being forgotten, and yet, they do nothing of it. If you can promise that I will not be forgotten, you are a greater friend than they ever have been.” Eret sighed as he explained.

“Of that I can promise you. You, however, must do exactly what I say at the final moment. If you can, and prove your loyalty to me, then, Eret, the time after our victory that we will meet again, I will have to bow to you, your future majesty.” Nightmare smiled, and made an over exaggerated bowing gesture with a sweep of his hand.

Eret’s white eyes lit up with understanding, and he smiled. “If history books remember me as the traitor king, it will be better than to be forgotten.”

Nightmare’s eyes lit up behind the mask. He let the smile on his face slide into smirk. He stretched his hand out to Eret, and this time, Eret took his hand happily instead of reluctantly, and they shook on the deal that would forever paint a man scared of being forgotten as a villain in history. Neither of them minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! Hello! Yes, Eret is afraid of being forgotten and he craves for power. This is part of my AU. I really needed a reason for Eret to betray L'Manburg, so here it is.


End file.
